Dennis RomeroIf you're dreaming of a white Christmas, you're probably in the wrong place.
See also: Driest Year Ever For L.A.
While the local mountains might have some snow left over from last month, and the resorts are producing man-made powder, the L.A. Basin will be experiencing a minor heat wave, with some high temperatures reaching nearly 80 degrees, the National Weather Service says:
Today Downtown Los Angeles should see a high of 76 degrees, says NWS meteorologist Joe Sirard. On Christmas Day that number jumps to 78, with 80 possible in warmer parts of the basin — namely the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, he said.
Things are getting so warm, with offshore gusts of 35 to 40 miles per hour in some canyons and mountain passes, that there's “increased fire danger,” Sirard said.
“There's some concern in the firefighter community,” he said.
The culprit is a mild high pressure system to the northeast that pushing offshore wind over the local mountains, which compresses air and warms it.
In summer this could be a major heatwave, but this system is mellow if not persistent. It's expected to cool a little on the weekend, but the nice temps and clear skies will probably last at least until New Year's Day, Sirard told us.
Christmas week high temps won't set records (we've actually seen temps in the upper '80s this time of year in the past), but our dry conditions will.
Credit: Ricardo Diaz/LA Weekly Flickr pool
We're on track to set the record for the driest calendar year since records started being recorded in 1877. Despite a little rain last week, we still have a low 3.6 inches for all of 2013.
And with this high pressure system keeping things dry through Jan. 1, that measurement should keep, Sirard said.
We'd have to beat 1953's 4.08 inches to lose the record.
“Through New Year's day we should stay dry,” he said. “We are looking at clear nights and sunny days.”
Unwrap your bikinis and board shorts and enjoy.
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